Family of Man Not only is Ara Gèler a veteran of Turkish photojournalism, but also, as a leading figure in international creative photography, he holds a special place in the history of world photography. His images depict a Turkish "Family of Man", where one feels the perspiration of a worker, the love of a mother, the wind created by the flight of birds or the captured stillness of a sacred space. According to him, photography should only reflect reality and provide a memory of people and their lives. Gèler 's work will be exhibited in Egypt for the first time at the AUC's Sony Gallery for Photography. His 48 black and white photographs to be displayed are glimpses of old Istanbul, each reflecting a different meaning and a life story. Printed in the darkroom, unspotted, and natural, they are like the pages of an old book opened to new eyes. (see Exhibitions p.3). On the occasion of International Women's Day, the General Organisation of Cultural Palaces (GOCP), presided over by Ahmed Nawwar, held a major event at the Cairo Opera House under the patronage of Culture Minister Farouk Hosni to honour Egyptian women and their accomplishments. Al-Ahram Weekly 's dear friend Mona Makram Ebeid, former member of parliament and distinguished lecturer at AUC, was among the gentlewomen honoured on that day. Using the streets of Zamalek as his performance space, Swiss dancer and choreographer Foofwa d'Imobilité presented Kilometrix, a thrilling dance-run performance, last Saturday. His performance merges dance and running in its interactive exploration of public space. "It is the first time to present my performance outside Europe... I was impressed by the enthusiastic interaction of Egyptians," he told OTV satellite channel. Paskal Dupoy, a camrider with a wide-angle lens, chased after d'Imobilité in action. The starting point was infront of Qasr Al-Nile Bridge. At the end of the day, a projection and presentation of the performance took place at Al-Sawy Culture Wheel. At the Maulana Azad Centre for Indian Culture (MACIC) on Talaat Harb Street in Downtown Cairo, a lecture titled Globalisation and the World's Future will be delivered by Aliaa Redah Rafea on 31 March at 6pm. Rafea is a professor of anthropology at the Department of Sociology, Ain Shams University, and currently a consultant in the Population and Migration Department of the Arab League. As part of the campaign, " Our Environment is our Life", organised by Al-Sawy Culture Wheel in cooperation with the Egyptian Environmental Programme to raise children's environmental awareness, a ceremony was held this week to celebrate World Water Day. The event was inaugurated by Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources Mahmoud Abu Zeid and Minister of State for Environmental Affairs Maged George. At Mahmoud Said Museums Centre in Alexandria, artist Azza Abul-Soud held her new exhibition showcasing 35 works varying between paintings in black ink, water-colours and relief. It is running through 30 March. photos: Ayman Barayez Al-Ahram Regional Institute for Press, whose consultant is Howeida Mustafa, organised a major event to honour a galaxy of female figures on International Women's Day. It was attended by actresses Laila Taher, Lubna Abdel-Aziz, Afaf Shoeib, Simone, member of the Egyptian Football Federation Sahar El-Hawary as well as a number of media figures. Celebrating the 40th anniversary of Mauritius National Day, its ambassador in Cairo, Rashidally Soobadar, held a reception. Present at the event to join in the celebration were Minister of International Cooperation Fayza Abul-Naga, Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources Mahmoud Abu Zeid, along with a bevy of African ambassadors in Cairo. Under the auspices of the Egyptian-Lebanese Friendship Association (ELFA), headed by Negad Shaarawi, an event was held at Le Pacha restaurant overlooking the Nile to bid farewell to Lebanese Consul in Egypt Rabie Narsh. Lebanese Ambassador to Egypt Khaled Ziyada, ambassadors Hassan Derar and Hassan Shash, Ghazi Nasser, Ahmed Baydoun, Faisal Fetfet, Amr Balbaa, Walid El-Aalayli and Omar Fayed were all present. The Egyptian-Canadian Council, headed by Moetaz Raslan, held a seminar at the Grand Hyatt Hotel hosting Culture Minister Farouk Hosni, who talked about his accomplishments along the past years as a minister and an artist. The event was attended by head of the Arab Writers Union and Al-Ahram Hebdo Chief-Editor Mohamed Salmawi. Also present were Minister of Administrative Development Ahmed Darwish, as well as Al-Ahram writers Mona Ragab, Afkar El-Kharadli and Silvia El-Naqadi among others. To celebrate the Tunisian National Day, Tunisian Ambassador Abdel-Hafiz Al-Herqam held a lavish reception at his residence. It was attended by Saudi Arabian Ambassador Hesham Al-Nazer, Moroccan Ambassador to Egypt Mohamed Farag Al-Dokali, Lebanese Ambassador to Egypt Khaled Ziyada, Algerian Ambassador Abdel-Qader Al-Haggar, Ambassador of Oman Abdel-Aziz Al-Hanaai, Palestinian Ambassador Fandar Al-Dogani, permanent representative of Saudi Arabia at the Arab League Ahmed Al-Qattan, Nisf Al-Donia magazine Editor-in-Chief Afkar El-Kharadli, pop singer Hakim and Tunisian singer Soma. The Japan Foundation in Cairo, in cooperation with the Fine Arts Sector, will open an exhibition on "Contemporary Japanese Crafts" at the Alexandria Museum of Fine Arts tonight. Sixty-four masterpieces, part of the Japan Foundation's art collection, will be on display until 13 April for Egyptian viewers for the first time. Don't miss it!
